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Magix (Xara) rant...

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Darwin:
Magix acquired Xara, developers of the wonderful Xtreme graphics package, earlier this year. I, along with many others, were thrilled last fall when Xara began beta testing a more powerful "Pro" version of Xtreme 3 and eagerly purchased a licence in Dec. 2006 when it was released. The Magix takeover was announced about three weeks later and in mid-February a notice went out alerting existing customers that new versions of Xtreme, both Standard and Pro, were due out in March and that these would paid updates (from version 3.02 to 3.2). We were offered a pre-release price of $39 and change. I passed on this offer feeling that being asked to pay for bug fixes to a program that was brand new two and half months earlier, that I had helped to beta test, and that I had paid handsomely for, was "taking the piss". Recently, I decided, for some unfathomable reason, to check the cost of "upgrading" my version - 3.02 - to the current version - 3.2x. It had gone up to $59, although at the moment I note that they are offering a 25% discount on upgrades through October 3, so it would cost me $44. What's alarming is that upgrading from earlier versions of Xtreme is more expensive, up to $127 (with the discount applied), so that when version 4 rolls out I assume it will cost considerably more money to upgrade.  I think that this is an appalling abuse of the existing customer base. I put this down at the time to Magix seeking to recoup as quickly as possible some of the purchase price by gouging Xara's loyal customers and this looks to be the case.

Well, rant over. I figured I might as well earn my reputation for being on a vendetta  :P...

tomos:
sad, isn't it ...
I had hopes for Xara but all this messing around (polite version) doesnt inspire

Darwin:
I have a bad feeling about the direction that Magix is taking them. Xara's graphics packages used to be attractive because they offered an affordable alternative to applications like Adobe Illustrator. It *looks* to me like Magix is doing a Corel (a la PaintShop Pro) with the "standard" version - dumbing it down (no doubt with new versions to be released once every 12 months) and looking to position the Pro version in a much higher price slot. The whole business has left a bad taste in my mouth - I used to read the forums regularly and enthusiastically but I can't be bothered anymore.

No, this isn't a rant about software economics and capitalism. I don't mind paying for a professinoal graphics package but I strenuously object to having a new version rushed out as a cash grab within a two months of the software being released. Charging for bug fixes so soon after release is akin to a car manufacturer asking customers to pay to have the malfunctioning SRS airbags replaced in the car that they bought the day it was released two months earlier.

Carol Haynes:
When they announced 3.2 as a forthcoming release I emailed the Xara team and they told me if you have version 3.02 don't bother upgrading unless there is something you really need (unlikely) which was at least honest.

I emailed them after the release complaining of the fast turn around of paid versions and the general direction things were going and told them I was no longer willing to promote a company that behaves that way through the affiliate scheme (which is why you no longer see Xara in my sig). I got a very polite reply which suggested that they understood my reasoning and were sympathetic.

It seems Magix is to blame and looking around the web at other aquisitions they made it look like typical behaviour. Xara as a company/development team are still actually producing and distributing Xara Xtreme Pro etc. and I actually feel a bit sorry for them. Not enough to buy any more versions though!

I feel pretty pissed off at the whole situation - I have been a customer since Xara was called ArtWorks (and the company called ComputerConcepts) and only ran on Acorn RiscOS computers (I also used their fabulous DTP app Impression written in really efficient Risc assembler - worked like lightening and did pretty much what most DTP apps do now) but no longer. I'd guess many of their customers will feel the same way.

Darwin:
I hear you Carol. I'm waiting on what happens when they release version 4 - the upgrade pricing structure will be a good indicator of which way things are going to go. I'm concerned that that's the point at which Magix decides to take Xtreme Pro into an even higher price category, maybe have it competitive with Corel Draw, but I'm just going to wait and see. If that is the way they're going to go I'm not going to keep upgrading anyway, so I'd just be throwing good money after bad paying for the 3.02 - 3.2 jump just on the offchance that doing so would make the 3.x to 4 upgrade affordable.

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